Microsoft Optimization Pack

We recommend that you test fixes before you deploy them in a production environment. Because the builds are cumulative, each new servicing release contains all the fixes (including security fixes) that were included in the previous update package. We recommend that you apply the latest servicing release.

Microsoft Optimization Pack

We recommend that you test fixes before you deploy them in a production environment. Because the builds are cumulative, each new servicing release contains all the fixes (including security fixes) that were included in the previous update package. We recommend that you apply for the latest servicing release.

Citrix delivers optimization for desktop-based Microsoft Teams using Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and Citrix Workspace app. By default, we bundle all the necessary components into the Citrix Workspace app and the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA).

Our optimization for Microsoft Teams includes VDA-side HDX services and an API to interface with the Microsoft Teams hosted app to receive commands. These components open a control virtual channel (CTXMTOP) to the Citrix Workspace app-side media engine. The endpoint decodes and provides the multimedia locally, moving the Citrix Workspace app window back into the hosted Microsoft Teams app.

You can disable Microsoft Teams optimization updating the value of the VDWEBRTC field to Off in the /opt/Citrix/ICAClient/config/module.ini file. The default is VDWEBRTC=On. After the update is complete, restart the Session. (Root permission is required).

To enable optimization for Microsoft Teams, use the Manage console policy described in the Microsoft Teams redirection policy. This policy is ON by default. In addition to this policy being enabled, HDX checks to verify that the version of the Citrix Workspace app is at least the minimum required version. If you enabled the policy and the Citrix Workspace app version is supported, the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Citrix\HDXMediaStream\MSTeamsRedirSupport registry key is set to 1 automatically on the VDA. Microsoft Teams reads the key to load in VDI mode.

If you use a PAC file, your VDA proxy configuration script from the PAC file must return DIRECT for wss://127.0.0.1:9002. If not, optimization fails. To make sure that the script returns DIRECT, use shExpMatch(url, "wss://127.0.0.1:9002/*").

Citrix RealTime Optimization Pack and HDX optimization for Microsoft Teams multimedia engines then honor the configuration set in your environment. Examples include island modes and Skype for Business with Microsoft Teams collaboration. Also, Skype for Business with Microsoft Teams collaboration and meetings.

Optimal audio and video quality require a network connection to the Microsoft 365 cloud that has low latency, low jitter, and low packet loss. Backhauling of Microsoft Teams audio-video RTP traffic from Citrix Workspace app users at branch office locations to a data center before going to the internet can add excessive latency. It might also cause congestion on WAN links. Citrix SD-WAN optimizes connectivity for Microsoft Teams following Microsoft 365 network connectivity principles. Citrix SD-WAN uses the Microsoft REST-based Microsoft 365 IP address and web service and proximate DNS. This use is to identify, categorize, and steer Microsoft Teams traffic.

Microsoft Teams relies on video-based screen sharing (VBSS), effectively encoding the desktop being shared with video codecs like H264 and creating a high-definition stream. With HDX optimization, incoming screen sharing is treated as a video stream.

When optimization for Microsoft Teams is active, the Citrix Workspace app accesses the peripherals (headsets, microphones, cameras, speakers, and so forth). Then the peripherals are properly listed in the Microsoft Teams UI (Settings > Devices).

Running Skype for Business or MS Team in a hosted shared environment can be a real burden on the CPU and memory, and as a result it is recommended to offload processing to the client device using an optimization pack. Issues such as hair pinning are avoided as traffic flows peer to peer where possible. Citrix have released a great blog on it with lots of detail. -optimization-for-microsoft-teams-now-generally-available/

With Skype, we had an indicator in the system tray to let us know if RTOP was optimising skype for business. Teams is done differently and to check if the optimization is configured correctly, navigate to the account settings, about and version. You can see that the title bar at the top now has in brackets (Citrix HDX Optimized)

With the upcoming release of HDX optimization for Microsoft Teams, customers will get a fully native, fully featured Microsoft Teams experience within Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. With a single point of authentication, this essentially also improves reliability and ease of use. The Citrix Workspace app has a built-in multi-platform HDX Media Engine that ensures optimized device and media handling, with audio, video, and screen sharing offloaded to the users device.

The release of HDX-optimized Microsoft Teams will be available in the coming weeks. Our engineering teams are putting the final touches on the optimization, but you should expect it with our next Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops release. Customers will need to move onto that VDA once released, as well as a future release of the Microsoft Teams client.

Application virtualization. Via Microsoft's SoftGrid Application Virtualization technologies, MDOP licensees can stream or install individual virtualized application packages, instead of requiring desktop users to access applications via a single virtualized environment. The primary advantage of this scheme is compatibility: You can do such things as install multiple versions of applications, each virtualized and packaged individually with its own specific set of DLLs and prerequisite files. In a recent demo, I was able to run three different versions of Microsoft Word simultaneously on a single PC, for example. I feel that this technology may be the key to the way future Windows versions handle backwards compatibility, incidentally.

Since there are minimum Workspace app versions required for Teams optimization, it is important to make sure that all your clients are updated to the minimum levels before end-users can use Teams via Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. If not, media processing will fall back to the VDA and impact your compute resources.

Global logistics leader Maersk gained significant benefits, like enterprise-wide awareness and better cost management processes, through its ongoing digital transformation by making cloud cost optimization a core practice.

H&R Block partnered with Microsoft to increase the cost efficiency of its cloud deployments. Using Azure cost-optimization services and best practices, the tax preparation giant continuously optimizes its cloud spend and keeps monthly costs under control year-over-year.

On the ThinOS client side, you must install the Citrix package using Admin Policy Tool or Wyse Management Suite. For information about how to install the ThinOS application packages, see the Dell Wyse ThinOS 9.1 Migration Guide at www.dell.com/support.

To verify if the Microsoft Teams application works in the optimized mode, click About > Version to view the Citrix HDX Optimized legend. For more information about how to verify the Microsoft Teams audio optimization, see the Optimization for Microsoft Teams article docs.citrix.com.

The workaround for this issue is to set an Inner Pack Handling Cost of 0.01 or greater via the Eligible Pack section of Pack Settings. Setting the inner pack handling cost value to 0.01 or higher populates the REQ_PACKREC_GEO_COST.INNER_HANDLE_COST column with the value of 0.01 instead of a null value.

Kidaro first revealed itself to the world in late 2006, talking up a "virtual workspace for enterprise desktop computing." Like so many start-ups, Kidaro's website suffers from a condition known as waffle-packing where the vendor fails to say much of anything about what it actually does. As far as we can tell, however, the company provides some basic tools around desktop virtual machine management.

For example, Kidaro lets administrators create various so-called "golden images" of desktop software packages. These are basically approved bundles of operating systems, applications and add-ons such as a VPN that can be sent out to user machines via a web server. So, a user can, for example, request the company's basic desktop package and receive a virtual machine with all of the requisite software at his client.